Autor: Yves-Oliver Tauschwitz

During this 60-minute discussion session Dr. Mia Cirkveni (Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Economics and Business in Osijek, UNIOS, Croatia) will share her and her students‘ enriching experiences from participating in COIL projects and organizing a telecollaboration within the field of English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Seasoned COIL practitioners as well as COIL enthusiasts from Berlin and around the world will join the meetup.

The event is moderated by BeCOIL project coordinators from nine Berlin universities. Julia Kröcher from the BZHL will be on hand to answer pedagogical questions.

Online-event, Monday, May 10, 2024, 9:30 – 10:30 AM (CEST) .

Registration and more information 

Participants from around the world gathered in Mainz, both in-person and online, to explore diverse topics in virtual learning and share valuable insights at the first COIL Bar Camp.

On March 4, 2024, the first hybrid Bar Camp on the topic of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) took place. The event brought together nearly 50 participants from eleven different countries. BeCOIL, Mainz University of Applied Sciences and the COIL´DE network co-conceived and co-organized the event. Student employees from the BeCOIL partner universities also actively contributed to making the event a complete success.

Diverse Topics and Engaged Discussions

At the LUX Pavilion of Mainz University of Applied Sciences and virtually, attendees discussed a wide range of topics related to virtual exchange. During the Bar Camp, numerous important subjects were covered, including the development of COIL projects, incentives for teachers and students, the promotion of UN sustainability goals, and the imparting of 21st-century skills. Data protection and ethical standards in the implementation of COIL projects were also thoroughly addressed.

 Positive Feedback from Participants

Both the organizers and participants expressed satisfaction. „It was great to get to know so many different perspectives and engage in direct exchange with students and professionals from around the world,“ commented an international participant. The sessions provided valuable insights and fostered intensive exchange on various topics. The open and participatory nature of the Bar Camp allowed participants to propose and discuss topics themselves, leading to a dynamic learning atmosphere.

A Look to the Future

The first hybrid COIL Bar Camp at Mainz University of Applied Sciences was a significant step towards stronger international networking and collaboration. Such events are planned to be held more regularly in the future to attract even more participants and further intensify the exchange. The next COIL Bar Camp is scheduled for spring 2025.

COIL´DE Network

The COIL’DE network was founded in 2020. Currently, our network includes over 20 members from many different universities across Germany. We meet every four to six weeks to discuss topics related to COIL that are particularly relevant to the German higher education landscape. Our goal is to contribute to the establishment of COIL projects at universities and to expand the exchange with those interested in COIL.

This 90-minute online course provides an introduction to the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) approach and outlines how you can incorporate digital and international elements into your teaching. To illustrate the concept of COIL we have invited Martín Hernán Castro from the HWR Berlin who will tell us about „Challenges for Management and interculturality: Findings from COILing with 3 different cultural orientations“.

BeCOIL and the Berlin Centre for Higher Education (BZHL) will jointly organise the event.

Online-event, Monday, 03.06.2024, from 9:30 to 11:00 am (CEST).

Registration and more information

Dr. Mirjam Hauck (The Open University, England) will kick off this 60-minute discussion session by presenting her research on „VE through the social justice and inclusion lens“. The floor will then be opened for an exchange of ideas and questions. Seasoned COIL practitioners as well as COIL enthusiasts from Berlin and around the world will join the meetup.

The event is moderated by BeCOIL project coordinators from nine Berlin universities. Julia Kröcher from the BZHL will be on hand to answer pedagogical questions.

Online-event, Wednesday May 13, 2024, 2:30 – 3:30 PM (CEST) .

Registration and more information 

Business Studies and Finance students from HTW Berlin and its partner universities Inholland (The Netherlands), HOGENT (Belgium) and CEU San Pablo (Spain) recently worked together for a COIL project. Over several weeks, the participants created their own online game around the global Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) while collaborating in internationally mixed groups with alternating coaches from the four involved universities.

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This 90-minute online course provides an introduction to the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) approach and outlines how you can incorporate online international collaboration into your courses. To illustrate this concept we have invited Dr. Ruth Tobias from the FU Berlin, who will tell us about her COIL on „What Do You Mean?“: Experiencing Culture through Language – Joint Online Course, Jerusalem – Berlin (Hebrew-German).

BeCOIL and the Berlin Centre for Higher Education (BZHL) will jointly organise the event.

Online-event, Thursday, 18th of April from 3 to 4:30 pm (CET).

Registration and more information

Prof. Dr. Bianka Lichtenberger (University of Applied Sciences UAS of the Grisons) will kick off this 60-minute discussion session by reflecting on her experience in Blended Learning International Collaboration (BLIC) as well as offer insights into research on the learning outcomes and effectiveness of international collaboration. The floor will then be opened for an exchange of ideas and questions. Seasoned COIL practitioners as well as COIL enthusiasts from Berlin and around the world will join the meetup.

The event is moderated by BeCOIL project coordinators from nine Berlin universities. Julia Kröcher from the BZHL will be on hand to answer pedagogical questions.

Online-event, Wednesday Apr 10, 2024, 4 – 5 PM (CEST) .

Registration and more information 

Join our hybrid event to connect, collaborate, and contribute to the advancement of Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) in Germany and abroad. A Bar Camp is a participant-driven event for collaborative discussions and activities based on attendees‘ interests. There is no preset agenda, you co-create the event!

In order to account for different time zones, we have planned two Bar Camp sessions that can be attended independently of each other. In the morning (9 AM to 12 PM Berlin-time) we focus on the topic of „How to develop sustainable COILs in Germany“ and in the afternoon (1 to 4 PM) the session will be called „Learn and share – COILs in Germany and abroad“.

The event is organized by Mainz University of Applied Sciences, the BeCOIL project and the COIL´DE network.

Hybrid event, Saturday, May 4, 2024, 9 AM to 5 PM (CEST), Lux Pavilion Mainz and online.

Registration (until April 12th) and more information 

At the beginning of this 60-minute exchange session, Zehra Koyuncu from HTW Berlin presents the COIL „Businet Law Game“ which has been conducted by Prof. Dr. Michael Jaensch for several years. The event will be moderated by project coordinators from the BeCOIL team, which is represented at nine universities in Berlin. Julia Kröcher from the BZHL will be on hand to answer pedagogical questions.

BeCOIL and the Berlin Centre for Higher Education (BZHL)will jointly organise the event.

Online-event, Thursday, Feb 08, 2024, 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM (CET) .

Registration and more information

At the beginning of this 60-minute exchange session, Prof. Dr. Antje Wilton-Franklin from the FU Berlin will give a keynote speech about her COIL course on Language and Ecology. Afterwards, you can exchange ideas with other Berlin teachers on the topic of COIL and develop plans for COIL courses. The event will be moderated by project coordinators from the BeCOIL team, which is represented at nine universities in Berlin. Julia Kröcher from the BZHL will be on hand to answer didactic questions.

Representatives from Berlin universities can register via the BZHL. Educators from international partner institutions associated with a Berlin-based university are encouraged to join. They can sign up for the seminar by filling out this form. Please note that the seminar takes place in Central European Time.

This series of events is offered as part of the BeCOIL project and is open to teachers from all Berlin universities. It will take place a total of three times in the winter semester 2023-24. The instances can be attended independently of each other, they do not build on each other.